I'm talking about the one with the so-called "Power Satellite" ie a separate 240V to 110V transformer "dongle".
Compactrons were special 12-pin multi-element valves, which as the name suggests, were designed to pack as many functions as possible into limited spaces, such as portable TV sets.
AWA's competing P1 portables were virtually a full-size TV circuit shoehorned into a portable cabinet. The GE TVs were a much more basic design, but they still worked extremely well (much to AWA's engineers' annoyance ). In the original US design, the compactron filament voltages all added up to 110V so they could be run directly of the US 110V AC or DC mains.
The Oz version simply used the abovementioned separate stepdown transformer.
Anyway, if anybody has one of these lying around or knows where I could get one please let me know.

Actually Keith, the AWA P1 design deserves the accolades over the GE for using standard valves in a more innovative and better circuit in much the same size case with far better serviceability.

The P1 outperformed the GE in every respect - picture geometry, black level retention, resolution, sensitivity, image stability (it had stabilised deflection) and sync performance under adverse reception conditions. It also outlasted the GE because it ran on a reduced B+ to keep the temperature rise down and unlike the GE the P1 would continue to perform well with valve age.

Plug in a P1 and a GE side by side, then switch a few high load devices on and off and watch what happens.

The P1 was just a much more clever design, more influenced by European trends at the time. It was simple without being simplistic. I doubt it cost any more to make than the GE once you included that "satellite" mains transformer. Wasn't that a great marketing coup, turning a kludge into a benefit! The P1s were many times more reliable too - I know, I worked for a rental and warranty service company at the time.No connection with AWA I stress!

But I hope you find a GE. They are a historical curiosity!

My own P1 was a great little performer over many years. Often got a fine picture (Sydney channels) without even raising the rabbit ears. The only downside was the tinny audio due to the tiny speaker and vibrating plastic case, but that didn't bother me too much as I used earphones most of the time as the set was positioned at the end of my bed.

Ian Robertson
As mentioned in another thread, I've just been given a P1 (one of the very early ones with the brass case fasteners, not the later rubbish white nylon ones). I agree it is a very good design, and it's working fantastically well for something 50 years old.
However, they weren't particularly cheap to buy; the GE portables were significantly cheaper.

The GE portables were very much an economy design, but we used to marvel at the smoothness of the IF response among other things. A lot of more expensive TVs had rather ordinary IF strips and it was amazing how good you could get the vertical linearity, considering how it worked! The GE sets had simple AGC, AC coupling to the tube and every other shortcut you could image, but they could still produce a damned fine picture.

As my old Service manager used to lament: "It's not FAIR, is it?!"

GTC
I'm going to mount a Set Top Box under my P1 (so it'll be a Set Bottom Box).
I'm not sure whether to mount a VHF modulator inside the box, or connect the luminance (green) output direct to the video amplifier grid.
The direct connection would be "cheating" somewhat, because the TV would then work far better than it ever did in real life
I'm trying to work out a way to make the "clunks" made by rotating the P1's tuner pulse the Set Top Box's channel up/down buttons, so you could change channels with the original knob. The hard part would be making it pulse the down button when you turn the knob anti-clockwise